This is kind of random, but for years and years I have been working with the same “interview” rules I learned in college when my career counselor told me how to give a good interview.
1. Wear a suit
2. Wear stockings
3. Do not wear open toe shoes or sandals
4. Tie your hair back
5. No eye catching jewlery
6. Be 15 minutes early
7. Always have copies of your resume with you
I followed these rules almost religiously every time I went on an interview. But later, as I became the one conducting interviews, I noticed that younger people are not always going to be in a suit, they often do not have resumes with them – because, they explain, I emailed it to you – their hair is down, or messy, and the whole stockings/closed toe shoes thing seemed irrelevant. So, did these people never go see their career counselor, and that is why they don’t bother with these details? Or do the rules change depending on the industry? For instance, I am in the arts and interviewed people who have worked in galleries or art fairs, or are artists themselves. Or is it that, ten years later, the rules have changed, as has the working atmosphere? That is to say, jeans are more commonplace now, the codes are relaxed or relaxing. To be honest, I never minded if they didn’t wear a suit, especially young people who may not have one, as long as they were in business casual or clearly put thought into looking presentable. I do mind very much when people don’t bring their resumes with them. It makes me crazy. Shoes and stockings, not so much, unless they are utterly ridiculous stockings, like my friends’ leopard print ones. Then, it might matter, but it would depend on the person. According to this post on Advice Smackdown by Amalah, the old rules are still in place.
As you know, I am on the job hunt. Now, I am not completely stuck on these rules. If I interview in the summer I don’t wear stockings, I think they are outdated and I hate them. I also will absolutely wear open toed shoes, wedges, whatever. And my hair, when it was long, was down most of the time. But these changes were gradual, because I really believed my career counselor. But last week I was working at a gallery show and so each day I dressed appropriately for that role. I also had an interview one morning before work, so for my first interview with this company, and for the very first time in my life, I didn’t wear a suit. And I stressed over this decision, especially because the interview was down on Wall Street, the home of dark suits and boring pumps, thought it was for an arts organization.
I wore a dress, tights and closed toe shoes, but they were cute grey ankle
boots kind of like this picture, not pumps, and the dress was not a business-ey kind of dress (it was the one to the left but in dark grey). And my hair was tied back, but that’sbecause I chopped it all off in October and have been wearing it in a headband ever since (free advice – don’t ever cut your hair because you’re bored). And guess what. I got a second interview (to which I wore a suit, with OPEN TOE shoes, so there).
So, what’s the deal? Suit or no suit? Have the rules changed? Can I now wear any one of my cute dresses to an interview?
